She has these views and perspectives that are very socially conscious and liberal while also being extremely privileged. As another commenter stated, Marianne's wealthy background and her political views are a contradiction a lot of young people deal with, myself included. In college this academically driven side of her influences the people who become a part of her social circle. It is the first place where she feels she has value and it becomes her identity. Marianne having been socially ostracized in high school resulted in her being totally absorbed in her studies. In terms of Marianne seeming entitled, I understand what you mean but I also think it's important to think in context of the character. I think a lot of girls go through this, myself included. However, life gets in the way as it often does at that age and the latter half of the book we see Marianne participating in increasingly destructive romantic habits (bdsm, dating that asshole guy) as a form of self harm. Connell shows her otherwise, and they become a sort of refuge for each other. She fundamentally believes she is not worthy of being loved. She projects herself as callous and cold as a defense mechanism against further mistreatment. Marianne is a deeply insecure person due to how she has been treated by her family and schoolmates. Connell feels free with Marianne because her being a social outsider is an escape for him from the pressures of being liked and accepted by his peers (high school). Marianne and Connell are both deeply flawed and throughout the story we see them continually fail in navigating their romantic relationship because they reflect each other's deepest flaws back to the other. To me, the story was less about the romantic aspect of their relationship but rather how it allowed them to grow and shaped their identities as first loves often do. I've only read normal people so I can only speak from that, but I think part of where Sally Rooney really excelled in that book was with the characters. Rooney addresses this as she addresses all flaws that her characters have. Helen had accused her of the same thing as you. I believe in Normal People Connell accepts this when he defends Marianne to Helen. Hope I made sense.įurther, you pointed out that the character seems ‘woke’ in the sense they are all words and no actions. Beautiful writing that is so underwhelming that it made me feel calm and mesmerised. Sally Rooney’s writings made me feel the complete opposite. There are books that twisted my insides with words that were overwhelmingly beautiful. The honesty and the rawness made it more intimate. I was reading about the relationship beyond what they said/acted. The relationship between Marianne and Connell felt intimate. She penned down certain ordinary experiences and emotions that I have never believed was possible/necessary to pen down. There is a certain calmness about the way she writes even though the characters are chaotic. Her writing felt honest because it didn’t try too hard. Initially, I was disappointed by the lack of an intriguing plot.
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